Communications sent June to November 2013; Replies received, 1 August 2013 to 31 January 2014

 

03/06/2013

JUA

 

Brazil                 

 

 

 

Alleged incidents of excessive violence against indigenous peoples in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Pará, including the alleged killing of an indigenous person by police authorities. According to the information received, on 30 May 2013, police in Mato Grosso do Sul engaged in a forcible eviction of approximately 1000 indigenous Terena people who for two weeks had occupied a piece of land in the locality of Buriti, officially titled to a private landowner. The land in question is located in an area that the Ministry of Justice had reportedly determined to be indigenous territory. One Terena indigenous man, Mr Oziel Gabriel, was allegedly killed by police gunfire, several others were wounded and ten indigenous people were arrested. Allegations have also been received about the imminent eviction of approximately 150-170 indigenous Kayapo, Arara, Munduruku and Xipaia persons who, since 27 May 2013, had occupied one of the construction sites of the Belo Monte dam in the state of Pará.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

05/06/2013

JAL

 

United States of America               

 

 

Allegations concerning the increasing number of state-level regulations that restrict the religious freedoms of Native American prisoners. According to the information received, indigenous peoples in the United States face high rates of imprisonment with an approximate 29,700 Native Americans incarcerated in prisons across the country as of 2011. Reportedly, while in prison, a significant number of Native Americans rely upon their freedom to carry out traditional religious practices for rehabilitation purposes and as a means to maintain their identity as members of indigenous peoples. However, numerous recent regulations in state correctional facilities have allegedly restricted Native American prisoners from engaging in traditional religious practices and possessing religious items. It is further alleged that the majority of these regulations are modified or created without meaningful consultation with Native Americans beyond processes for general public comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/06/2013

JUA

 

 

 

Alleged risk of eviction and forced displacement of a large number of Arab Bedouins in the Naqab (Negev) desert in the south of Israel. According to the information received, the “Law for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev- 2013”, a bill also known as the Prawer-Begin Bill, to be enacted into law in the coming days would lead to the eviction and forced displacement of more than 70,000 Arab Bedouins in the Naqab (Negev) desert in the south of Israel. Allegedly this would mean the destruction of most of the remaining unrecognized Arab Bedouin villages in this region. Concerns also include severance of the historical ties to land by the Bedouin community, strict limits and conditions to access and receive adequate compensation whether in money or land, and the use of force in the form of the deployment of additional police officers in charge of the implementation of this Plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21/06/2013

AL

 

 

 

Alleged resettlement of agro-pastoralist indigenous groups in the lower Omo valley. In this follow-up letter, the Special Rapporteur provides a series of observations and recommendations in accordance with international human rights standards regarding indigenous peoples. In particular, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to ensure consistency with international standards and with the Ethiopian Constitution of any resettlement efforts in the lower Omo valley. He notes that unless and until resettlement can take place in accordance with these standards and adequate safeguards are put in place to mitigate any unavoidable impacts on human rights, Ethiopia should cease the resettlement of agro-pastoralist individuals groups in lower Omo valley. This communication is a follow-up to an earlier letter sent on 22 October 2012 (A/HRC/22/67).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/07/2013

AL

 

 

 

Alegaciones relacionadas con varios temas en seguimiento al informe del Relator Especial sobre La situación de los pueblos indígenas en Colombia (A/HRC/15/37.Add.3) del 2010. Según la información recibida desde la publicación del informe del Relator Especial, los pueblos indígenas en Colombia han continuado enfrentando una serie de problemas, incluyendo casos de asesinatos, amenazas, desaparición, desplazamientos y confinamientos de miembros de pueblos indígenas; de retrasos en la implementación de planes de salvaguarda y otras medidas de protección a favor de pueblos indígenas en riesgo de extinción; de los riesgos generados por la presencia y actuación de los actores del conflicto armado y la presencia del crimen organizado en los territorios indígenas; de retrasos en los procesos de reconocimiento, ampliación y restitución de territorios indígenas; y de la implementación del deber de la consulta en el contexto de proyectos de industrias extractivas propuestos en o alrededor de territorios indígenas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/07/2013

AL

 

 

 

Alleged recent removal of indigenous consent requirements in the context of infrastructure development projects affecting indigenous forest lands and resources. According to the information received, in February 2013, the Ministry of Environment and Forests allegedly revised previous policy orders that made consent by Gram Sabhas (local village councils) mandatory for projects that involve using forest lands for non-forest purposes such as commercial and development projects and activities. The Ministry of Environment and Forests reportedly created an exemption for consent requirements in the case of modifications to the use of forest lands for the development of what are termed “linear projects”. It is alleged that this consent exemption provision will negatively affect the rights of many indigenous peoples in India who are not “pre-agricultural communities” or “primitive tribal groups” but rather fall under the category of “Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes” or “other traditional forest dwellers”. It is feared that the removal of the consent requirement will facilitate the development of potentially damaging projects in traditional forestlands without prior consultation or consent of indigenous peoples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/07/2013

AL

 

 

 

Alleged harassment and displacement of B’laan indigenous communities in Davao del Sur by members of the Philippine Army. According to the information received, in April 2013, a unit of the Philippine Army landed by helicopter at Sitio Tah Canten, Malawanit, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, Philippines. Armed confrontations between the New People’s Army (NPA), a Maoist guerrilla organization, and the army battalion ensued. It is alleged that the conflict resulted in the temporary displacement of B’laan indigenous villagers from their houses. In addition, members of the military allegedly harassed and conducted interrogations of B’laan indigenous villagers based on the unsubstantiated suspicion that they were either supporters or members of the NPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27/08/2013

JUA

 

 

 

Presunto asesinato, amenazas y otros actos intimidatorios en contra de defensores de derechos medio-ambientales, derechos a la tierra, y derechos de los pueblos indígenas. Según las alegaciones, el 22 de mayo de 2013, Nahum Ricardo Domínguez habría sido el objeto de un acto intimidatorio después de dar unas conferencias de prensa. El 24 de mayo de 2013, Berta Cáceres y Tomás Gómez Membreño, defensores de los derechos del pueblo indígena lenca, habrían sido detenidos en una operación militar. El 15 de julio de 2013, el dirigente indígena lenca Tomás García habría sido asesinado por el Ejército Hondureño durante una manifestación. El 24 de julio de 2013, la comunidad de La Nueva Esperanza habría sido objeto de actos intimidatorios y habrían sido secuestrados temporalmente dos defensores que realizaban labores de acompañamiento internacional a dicha comunidad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

03/09/2013

JUA

 

 

 

Presuntas amenazas contra del líder indígena mapuche Francisco Vera Millaquén y su familia con motivo de su trabajo en defensa de los derechos del pueblo indígena mapuche. Según la información recibida, Francisco Vera Millaquén es un werken o dirigente de la comunidad indígena mapuche huilliche de Pepiukelen, en el sector Pargua, región de Los Lagos. Durante varios años, el Sr. Vera Millaquén ha trabajado contra la presencia de empresas salmoneras en el territorio tradicional de la comunidad de Pepiukelen y es reconocido como un defensor de los derechos territoriales del pueblo mapuche a nivel nacional. Desde abril de 2012, el Sr. Vera Millaquén ha denunciado una serie de actos de amenaza de muerte en su contra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04/09/2013

JAL

 

 

 

Allégations de tentative de meurtre, d’harcèlement judicaire et de représailles à l’encontre de différents membres de l’organisation MBOSCUDA. Selon les informations reçues, le 1er juillet 2012, M. Jeidoh Duni, juriste au sein de l’organisation MBOSCUDA, aurait fait l’objet d’une tentative de meurtre. Il est allégué que, suite à leur participation en tant que témoins à l’enquête, Messieurs Jeidoh Duni, Adamou Isa, Sali Haman, Dahiru Beloumi et Njawga Duni auraient été sommés de comparaitre devant le tribunal militaire de Bafoussam le 23 avril 2013 pour possession illégale d’armes à feu. Le 10 mai 2013, M. Musa Usman Ndamba, vice-Président de l’organisation MBOSCUDA, aurait comparu devant la cour de Première Instance au Bamenda pour avoir diffusé de fausses informations. Le procès aurait été ajourné au 27 mai 2013, puis au 19 août 2013. Il est allégué que ces différentes mesures pourraient être liées au rapport soumis par l’organisation MBOSCUDA à l’ONU à l’occasion du deuxième examen périodique universel du Cameroun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

09/09/2013

UA

 

United States of America               

 

 

Allegations concerning the situation of “Veronica”, an indigenous child who is the subject of a custody dispute. According to the information received, Veronica, an almost four year old Cherokee child who is the daughter of Dusten Brown, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, faced judicially ordered removal from her indigenous family and community to the custody of Matt and Melanie Capobianco, a non-indigenous couple. Reportedly, a court in the state of South Carolina awarded custody to the Capobiancos without allowing for a hearing or full determination about the best interests of Veronica, as ordinarily is done when custody or adoption is contested by a biological parent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31/10/2013

JAL

 

 

 

Allegations of violence and other human rights abuses against tribal/ indigenous peoples. According to the information received, members of indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts have experienced murders, harassment, intimidation, religious persecution and sexual violence against indigenous women and children. Allegedly, this violence is linked to land disputes that originate from Government policies that have promoted the migration of Bengali citizens to settle in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over the course of several decades in order to alter the demographic composition of the region. It is reported that the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of 1997, providing for the recognition of the Chittagong Hills Tracts as a “tribal inhabited region”, the promotion of indigenous cultures, customary laws and rights to customary lands and natural resources, which brought an end to an armed insurgency that arose in the 1970s had not been implemented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01/11/2013

AL

 

 

 

Allegations concerning the burning of Maasai houses and property and the alleged failure of the Government to provide compensation. According to the information received, on 26 July 2013, a convoy of vehicles arrived in the community of Narasha, Naivsha, in the Great Rift Valley, which is located in the traditional lands of the Maasai people. Throughout that day, the group burned numerous Maasai homes destroying items within the houses. It is reported that, while State authorities have promised Narasha community members that they will be compensated for their loss, over two months since the incident no compensation has been provided to the victims. In the meantime, numerous Maasai families have had to endure bouts of rain without any adequate shelter following the destruction of their houses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07/11/2013

JAL

 

 

 

Allegations concerning discrimination in funding and retaliation acts against Ms Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. According to the information received, in 2007, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada filed a complaint against the Government of Canada before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal alleging discrimination in the funding provided to First Nations for child welfare. Reportedly, after the case was filed in 2007, Ms Blackstock and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada experienced what they perceived as several forms of retaliation by the Government of Canada. This allegedly included the monitoring of Ms Blackstock’s personal Facebook page, her professional meetings and presentations, and her Indian Status registry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07/11/2013

AL

 

 

 

Alegaciones sobre la reciente aprobación del estudio de impacto ambiental para el proyecto minero El Morro por parte del Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental de Chile. En la carta, el Relator Especial también expresa su preocupación sobre una nota emitida el 9 de octubre de 2013 por el Director Nacional de la Corporación Nacional de Desarrollo Indígena (CONADI) relativa al proyecto y que hace referencia de manera incompleta a unas declaraciones que el Relator Especial previamente había hecho sobre el tema del deber estatal de consultar a los pueblos indígenas. Por tanto, la comunicación tiene como objeto brindar al Gobierno una clarificación de los puntos que el Relator Especial previamente ha expuesto sobre el deber de la consulta, y solicitar al Gobierno información sobre la forma en que se ha cumplido con ese deber en relación con los pueblos indígenas afectados por el proyecto El Morro.

 

 

 

11/11/2013

JAL

 

 

 

 

Follow up to the joint allegation letter OTH 4/2013 dated 4 April 2013 addressed to IAMGOLD Corporation in relation to its alleged activities in Suriname. In the letter, the Working Group and the Special Rapporteur thank IAMGOLD for its response dated 5 June 2013 and its willingness to engage on this issue. The Working Group and Special Rapporteur also provide IAMGOLD with further information on the communications procedure of special procedures of the Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur further refers to earlier comments on this case published in his last annual report to the Human Rights Council on communications sent, observations and replies received (A/HRC/24/41/Add.4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14/11/2013

JAL

 

 

 

 

Alleged forcible eviction and other alleged human rights violations affecting indigenous Maasai pastoralists. According to the information received, Sukenya Farm is a locality encompassing approximately 12,617 acres in the Loliondo Division, Ngorongoro District, in the Arusha Region. Reportedly, Sukenya Farm is a large grazing area that constitutes part of the ancestral territories of Maasai pastoralists. Maasai groups have used this territory to carry out their traditional activities including grazing cattle and accessing important water sources. In 1984, the Government of Tanzania in conjunction with the Ngorongoro District Council allocated 10,000 acres within the then Soitsambu village to the parastatal company Tanzanian Breweries Limited (TBL). Subsequently, in 2006, TBL sold its remaining 96-year leasehold to a tourism company known as Tanzania Conservation Limited (TCL). It is reported that since the 2006 evictions, private security guards connected to TCL and local police have continually subjected Maasai pastoralists to acts of intimidation, harassment, and beatings when they have attempted to graze their cattle or access water points in the disputed land area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18/11/2013

AL

 

 

 

Letter concerning recent developments regarding the nomination and declaration of World Heritage sites by the World Heritage Committee. In this letter, the Special Rapporteur notes that the World Heritage Committee will hold a discussion on potential reforms to site nomination criteria and the Advisory Bodies’ evaluation process at its next annual session. According to the information received, reform efforts have arisen mainly due to the difficulties in the nomination process of the Pimachiowin Aki site in Canada, an indigenous-led nomination developed through a collaborative process between the Government of Canada and First Nations. The site was nominated as “mixed property” for both, its cultural and natural significance under the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. However, the World Heritage Committee reportedly deferred the Pimachiowin Aki nomination in large part because the Advisory Bodies were unable to concurrently consider natural and cultural values under the present criteria and evaluation processes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25/10/2012

AL

 

 

 

Allégations des violations graves et continues des droits de l’homme subies par le peuple autochtone Mbororo dans la région du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun, dans un secteur appartenant à un propriétaire foncier local. Selon les informations reçues, les violations du peuple Mbororo concernent la dépossession de leurs terres; les emprisonnements illégaux et injustes; la perte du bétail; l’affaiblissement de leurs structures dirigeantes et de leurs institutions; et l’exploitation sexuelle des femmes Mbororo. Des préoccupations sont exprimées quant au fait que les autorités n’auraient pas pris des mesures suffisantes pour enquêter, sanctionner et prévenir les supposées violations des droits de l’homme commises contre des membres du people autochtone Mbororo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

15/01/2013

AL

 

Costa Rica               

 

 

Carta de seguimiento en relación con el propuesto proyecto hidroeléctrico el Diquis. La carta da seguimiento al informe del Relator Especial sobre el proyecto hidroeléctrico de mayo de 2011 (A/HRC/18/35/Add.8). En la carta, el Relator Especial solicita información sobre los avances en relación con el propuesto proyecto el Diquis y el proceso de consulta correspondiente con los pueblos indígenas afectados, así como información acerca de cuestiones conexas tratadas en su informe, tales como las relativas a tierras y la autonomía indígenas. El Relator Especial también lleva a la atención del Gobierno información recibida respecto de los supuestos actos de violencia en la comunidad de Salitre a inicios de enero de 2013. Según la información recibida, indígenas de la comunidad de Salitre habrían sido atacados por personas no-indígenas que están ocupando tierras dentro del territorio demarcado a favor de la comunidad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/02/2013

AL

 

 

 

Allegations concerning the situation of the Basarwa and Bakgalagadi indigenous peoples in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. According to the information received, there are approximately 500 to 600 Basarwa and Bakgalagadi indigenous residents living in five communities within the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Approximately 2,200 to 2,400 Basarwa and Bankgaladi people who were former residents of the Reserve, but who have been evicted from their traditional lands, now live in the resettlement sites of Xere, New Xade and Kaudwane. In the Roy Sesana and Others v. The Attorney General decision of 2006, the High Court of Botswana held that the Government’s refusal to allow the applicants in the case to enter the Reserve unless they were issued with permits was unlawful and unconstitutional. However, the Government has allegedly maintained a position that only the 243 applicants who were named in the Sesana case can return to the Reserve without obtaining a temporary entry permit. Further, indigenous residents in the Reserve have allegedly been criminally prosecuted, arrested, harassed, beaten and intimidated by police and park officials for engaging in their traditional subsistence hunting and gathering activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28/03/2013

AL

 

 

 

Observaciones del Relator Especial sobre los posibles efectos del proceso de reforma del código civil y comercial sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas. En la carta, el Relator Especial nota que el proceso en curso para reformar el código civil y comercial, así como el futuro proceso de elaboración de legislación específica en materia de la propiedad comunitaria indígena, pudieran representar valiosas oportunidades para incorporar y hacer efectivos los derechos de los pueblos indígenas reconocidos en la Constitución Nacional y los instrumentos internacionales ratificados y aprobados por el Estado argentino. A la vez, enfatiza que el Gobierno debe tomar las medidas necesarias para asegurar que estos importantes procesos de reforma legislativa respondan a las necesidades y las aspiraciones expresadas por los pueblos indígenas del país. La carta da seguimiento a una carta de alegación enviada por el Relator Especial el 14 de diciembre de 2012 (ver A/HRC/23/51, ARG 3/2012).

30/07/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04/04/2013

JAL

 

 

 

Allegations received regarding the impact of the activities of IAMGOLD on the Saramaka tribal people, in relation to the new mining rights and the expansion of a hydroelectric project. According to the information received, IAMGOLD and its subsidiary Rosebel Gold Mines N.V. have requested and been granted an extension of mining rights in Saramaka territories under an agreement to modify the Mineral Agreement of 7 April 1994 and expand the Afobaka hydroelectric dam and reservoir, also in Saramaka territories, as part of the TapaJai project. The mining concessions and the expansion of the Afobaka dam are alleged to impact adversely on the rights of the Saramaka and contravene the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Saramaka People v. Suriname, which affirmed the collective land and resource rights of the Saramaka, a maroon tribal group in northeast Suriname, and ordered the Government of Suriname to legally recognize and protect the land and natural resource rights of indigenous and tribal peoples in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/05/2013

UA

 

 

 

Alegaciones sobre la situación en la reserva Bosawás en la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua. Según la información recibida, la reserva Bosawás está habitada por varias comunidades indígenas mayagna y miskito, quienes recibieron el reconocimiento legal sobre sus tierras tradicionales dentro de la reserva en 2007. Desde este entonces, el asentamiento ilegal de personas no-indígenas, o colonos, dentro de la reserva ha aumentado dramáticamente. Por varios años, las comunidades indígenas que habitan la reserva Bosawás vienen exigiendo al Gobierno a que se realice la etapa de “saneamiento” de sus tierras. Sin embargo, hasta semanas recientes, el Gobierno no ha avanzado en este proceso. Las comunidades indígenas han amenazado desalojar a los colonos por cuenta propia a la luz de la inacción por parte del Estado. En semanas recientes, tensiones entre los colonos y los indígenas que habitan la reserva han intensificado, resultando en la muerte de un individuo indígena.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14/05/2013

JAL

 

 

 

Alleged restrictions on the right to equitable participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making. According to information received, on 29 February 2012, Bill S-8, entitled ‘Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act’, was introduced in the Senate. It is alleged that indigenous peoples have not benefitted from effective participation in the decision making process. In particular, it is alleged that the consultation meetings, held by the federal government with indigenous peoples on issues where their consent were needed, failed to allow for the effective participation of First Nation communities.